Share thisA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) can be defined as established procedures to be followed for a specific task(s). An SOP should provide guidelines on what to do, when to do it, and who should do it.
For animal holding rooms, standard operating procedures can include anything from feeding and cleaning to animal transport to euthanasia. These standardized procedures are the backbone of the function of an animal facility. The general premise is that someone who reads an SOP, even if they have never been in a room, should have an understanding of the policies and procedures.
Standard Operating Procedures have long been established and implemented for the mammal research world. It is safe to say that there are not many differences between facilities, in regards to the basic care and use of mammals for research. Of course, there are some exceptions, but overall, procedures for things like feedings, cage requirements, and environmental parameters are standardized throughout the industry. SOPs are dynamic in nature and will change with new technology, but in general, basic procedures for mammal holding rooms have been established for some time.
This is not the case for aquatic research holding facilities. There are many types of aquatic animals used in research, but this article will focus on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus spp.), the most commonly used aquatic animals in the industry. SOPs for aquatic holding rooms vary greatly throughout the industry, due in large part to several variables, including the lack of standards for housing equipment and basic housing requirements for aquatic animals. Given how important the aquatic models, such as zebrafish and frogs have become, and how much emphasis is being placed on the use of these models, it is a wonder how husbandry standards have not yet been set. In the aquatic research field, even basic principles such as water quality, feeding, and breeding have not been standardized. Essential parameters of water quality like temperature, pH, and conductivity have a large range of set points and acceptable high/low ranges. These are basic parameters that should be measured and controlled at all times, yet there are currently no set standards. Because zebrafish and frogs are hardy animals, they are able to survive and reproduce in a wide range of environments, which is one of the reasons that this research has not already been completed. The lack of standardization is the main reason that aquatic holding room SOPs vary from facility to facility. The implementation of SOPs in aquatic rooms has depended largely on the experience of technicians and research staff, and what works for them or what they perceived to have worked for them in the past. The majority of the SOPs used in aquatic rooms have been developed by trial and error.
The question for facilities now is how to write and implement SOPs that are feasible for their aquatic areas. Basically, the SOP process contains four steps, including: